Marisa Sacerdote, rscj

In the coming months the RSCJ involved in the Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network will be writing short reflections on the common priorities they have chosen for the coming year - External Debt and Water for All.

Millennium Development Goal # 8
Develop a partnership for development

The Implications of Debt Cancellation

The RSCJ involved in Africa Faith and Justice Network are focusing on debt campaign in view of the G8 meeting of June 2005. AEFJN along with many NGO's believe that we should advocate debt cancellation on the basis of a human development approach and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Debt cripples the least developed nations locking them into a cycle of poverty. Repaying the loans and the interest on these loans erodes the countries ability to provide essential services such as education and health care. Debt relief alone has neither reduced the debt nor given access to markets in the least developed countries. Total debt relief is needed.

Debt relief should be linked with the development of fair trade agreements that enable sustainable agriculture in both the north and the south. Debt relief linked with development does not always accomplish long term results because of the changes the recipient country maybe asked to make in its policies regarding population growth, privatization, production quotas, or opening its markets to “free trade”.

Aid in the form of food “dumping” destroys local markets. How does your country stand on these issues? How will your EU parliamentarians vote on these issues?

Most developed countries have not lived up to the commitment they signed in 2000 to give 0.7% of the GNP to accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals. How does you country rate?

For further information:

• www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ - Millennium Goals
• www.aefjn.org gives regular updates and actions plans (See particularly Oct 2004 Debt) (AEFJN is a network of 41 Catholic religious and missionary institutes with members in Africa and Europe, promotes equitable economic relations between Africa and Europe, providing information and analysis on economical policies that effect Africa adversely and seeks to influence positively the policies of national governments and the European Union Institutions.)
• www.e-alliance.ch/gwa_order.jsp - information on Global Week of Action
• www.makepovertyhistory.org Soon to be launched site on organisations working on trade and date
• This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it - fair and transparent trade agreements
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